Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Generating Ideas
• Part 2 of 2: Write a myth
• Tips

You must be familiar with the stories of Hercules and Zeus, or legends from other mythological traditions of the world. These stories explain the reasons for natural phenomena, cultural traditions, or teach the listener how to or not to act. Whether you are creating a serious legend or writing a funny story to cheer up the audience, myths bring the imagination of both author and listener to life.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Generating Ideas

1. 1 Think of what phenomena your myth will explain. Many myths explain the causes of certain events, the processes of creating certain things, or why people should act in a certain way. Here are some examples from existing myths:
   • Why does the moon remain and wan?
   • Why do vultures have bald heads?
   • Why do people cook and eat different dishes in one way or another or on certain holidays?
2. 2 Try to include a lesson in your myth. Sometimes myths explain why people should or should not act in a certain way. It can be direct instruction with morality at the end, but more often the reader learns from what he read when he sees that good deeds are rewarded, and stupid and evil ones are punished. If you like this approach, here are some ideas that you could use as a basis for your work:
   • The hero only succeeds if he follows the advice of the elders or the gods. Or, alternatively, only if he relies on his own strength.
   • To succeed, the hero must be intelligent and solve problems in non-standard ways.
   • Some myths teach that luck can be more important than skill. Sometimes it is funny to hear about how the most ordinary person is incredibly lucky, or about a complete fool who, by some miracle, becomes a king.
3. 3 Turn your idea into fantasy. Whether your myth is serious or comic, it must contain something that cannot happen in the real world. For example, a volcanic eruption can happen because the giants underground forgot to extinguish the brazier. The hero has to learn to take care of his neighbors when the evil serpent turns his relatives into trees.
   • If you find it difficult to come up with a mythical explanation for your chosen topic, write down a few words that remind you of, say, snow. If you want to explain why snowstorms happen, write the words "cold, wet, white, snowman, ice cream, clouds." Suppose snowmen live in the clouds and sneeze on the ground with snow, or maybe the clouds want to treat us to ice cream that melts on the way down.
4. 4 Create a hero. Usually the hero of the story is someone outstanding and admirable, although, as mentioned above, you can write about the most ordinary person. When writing down ideas for creating a hero, consider these questions:
   • Is your character superpowered, superintelligent, or extraordinarily talented in some way? Some heroes have "superpowers", such as the ability to shoot a bow with incredible accuracy, or the ability to knock people down with their own whistle or whistle.
   • If your character is endowed with these special talents, then why? Did the gods endow him, did he achieve his skills by diligent training, or was he born with such abilities? Which personality would you admire, or which personality, in your opinion, is the closest match to reality?
5. 5 Give the hero some vices. For the plot to be fun, the hero must sometimes make mistakes. Here are a few vices that could lead the hero to erroneous actions:
   • The hero is overly arrogant and rejects advice and offers of help.
   • The hero is greedy or lustful and tries to steal or get something that does not belong to him.
   • The hero is conceited and believes that he is superior to other people or even the gods themselves.
6. 6 Use a few magical ideas. Witches, gods, monsters, magical objects and imaginary places will all make the myth fascinating and worthy of the reader's attention. You can transfer the events of the myth to ancient Greece and involve characters such as Hades or Chimera in the plot, or you can invent your own.
   • If you don't have specific ideas, try reading famous myths or modern books that feature mythical characters. Percy Jackson and the Olympians are a good example.

Part 2 of 2: Write a myth

1. 1 Write in simple, understandable language. Myths retell events directly, as if they took place in reality. Avoid long, flowery sentences and detailed descriptions. Do not make your own judgments and present everything as fact.
   • This will lead to the fact that the plot will develop quickly. In one version of the myth about Hercules, the description of the image of the Hydra, her tracking and killing takes only eight sentences.
2. 2 Write in a mythological style. The easiest way to achieve this result is by imitating the style of famous myths, however, you could use the following literary tricks to make your myth sound traditional:
   • Use traditional mythical symbols. In different traditions, they may differ, but most often such symbols are the numbers 3 and 7, animals - a raven or a seal, or characters - a prince or fairy caught by a villain.
   • Use the same structure for several consecutive sentences. For example: "For seven days he ascended to heaven, and seven days he descended to Xibalba; seven days he turned into a snake ...; seven days he turned into an eagle."
   • Use short figurative epithets. This technique is especially popular in the Greek epic, where epithets referring to other myths are often used, for example, "Dionysus - the persecutor of wolves" or "Apollo carrying laurel branches."
3. 3 Introduce the main character and the scene of events to the reader. Usually, from the very first lines it becomes clear to the reader that he is reading a myth. Here are some ways to achieve this effect:
   • Transfer the events of the myth to the distant past or to distant lands. Think of the stories you know that begin with the words "Once upon a time," "In the distant kingdom," or "In times immemorial."
   • Describe the kind of hero people expect to see in the myth. For example, the younger brother, the king, the carpenter are frequent heroes of folk tales. If your myth is more epic, go for a famous hero or goddess.
4. 4 Create a motive for the actions of the main character. You can start by describing the essence of the story. For example, Coyote decided to steal fire in order to give it to people. However, the story will be more exciting if the hero has reasons for his actions. Here are some examples:
   • Coyote notices that people are shivering in winter and begging for a chance to keep warm.
   • The Queen is oblivious to the suffering of her subjects. The gods send a plague on her daughter, and the queen must begin to take care of her people so that the gods heal her daughter.
5. 5 Develop your storytelling. The middle of the myth is a matter of your imagination, and here you do not have to follow any rules. Continue writing while keeping in mind the phenomenon or moral admonition that your myth is about. If you get stuck, the following tricks will help you continue:
   • Introduce a new character into the story. It can be a god, a spirit, a talking animal, or a wise old man. He can tell the hero about the coming trouble and suggest how to cope with it, or give the hero a magic item that he can use later.
   • Create a new problem. When everything is all right again, let your hero make a mistake, or a monster will appear that will destroy the result of the hero's good deeds. This trick will help if you want to further develop the plot.
6. 6 Complete the myth. Continue writing until you have covered your chosen topic, or until the hero overcomes all difficulties and learns his lessons. The myth often ends with an explanation of the connection between the plot and the present. Here are some fictional examples:
   • "And that's why the sun gets hotter and brighter every summer."
   • "And since then, people have brushed their teeth every night to make the goblin stealing teeth fear their own hideous reflections."
7. 7 Read aloud while editing. If you think your myth is almost complete, read it out loud to yourself or a friend. Individual phrases may look good on paper but sound bad, and myths are most often written for oral communication. Check the entire text and correct spelling and grammatical errors, then have a friend check your work in case you missed something.

Tips

• There are many resources available on the Internet where you can get inspiration and familiarize yourself with Chinese legends, Slavic folk tales, Aztec mythology, Scandinavian Edds, and myths of many other cultures and traditions.